Re: IIGS ROM 03 Startup error

["Aaron Pulver" <aaronp@paulbunyan.net>]

Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote in article
<33921518.2A76@swbell.net>...
> Brendan Bellina writes ...
> > I recently purchased a ROM 03 IIGS .... Things were looking good for a
week 
> > or so and then the machine refused to boot up. .... I know enough to
have 
> > tried several things .... but I get the same results regardless of
> > anything I try.  Basically when starting it up the screen remains
> > completely black, no text at all and no startup beep.  I can start the
> > self-test and it appears and runs fine, reporting that the system is
> > good, but I can't get to anything else.  Pressing OA-Reset causes the
> > screen border to blink white twice, pause, and blink again, then
nothing
> > else happens. I cannot get to the Control Panel.
> > ....
>      This is kind of a long shot: you may have a messed-up and/or loose 
> keyboard socket (either the one going to the computer cable or the one
the 
> mouse is plugged into). Or, you may have a keyboard with a sticky key or
keys 
> (e.g. one someone spilled Coke into). Try powering-up without the KB or
mouse 
> connected.

One other thing to try...  This sounds an awful lot like the Blackout
virus.  It sets text color, background, and border color to black, and also
sets sound volume to zero.  It also sets the startup slot to ROM disk,
which prevents the IIgs from booting a real disk.  These changes are then
saved to battery RAM.  In other words, as you say, you will get a
completely blank screen, no startup beep, and the self-test would show
nothing wrong.

The fix is to hold down the option key when you turn the IIgs on.  You
won't be able to see it, but the following menu will be displayed:

1=Enter the Control Panel
2=Set system standards at 60 hertz.
3=Set system standards at 50 hertz.
4=Continue restarting the system.

Press 2, and the IIgs will set all Control Panel settings to their
defaults.  You should be back to normal.

Blackout only affects the boot block on 3.5" disks, so 5.25" disks or hard
drives won't be affected.  Run a virus checker on any disks that you may
think are infected.

Thanks to II Alive, Vol. 2, No. 1 for this information.

Later,
Aaron